YouTube cofounder slams decision to force Google+ on YouTube users

Count YouTube cofounder Jawed Karim among those who’s not a fan of forcing YouTube commenters to have a Google+ account. As The Guardian notes, Karim this week posted a comment on his YouTube page asking “why the f— do I need a Google+ account to comment on a video?” Google has claimed that it’s requiring commenters to have Google+ accounts to help them “see posts at the top of the list from the video’s creator, popular personalities, engaged discussions about the video, and people in your Google+ Circles,” and thus deliver a more personalized experience. Even so, Google’s assurance that the new comments system is being put in place for users’ benefit is unlikely to quell critics who think the company is cynically trying to find yet another sneaky way to foist Google+ on everyone.